like a sin, my love
by willowaus
Summary: A pre-canon, Klaroline twist. What if Klaus took an interest in Caroline when he was in Alaric's form? How could their story have changed?


**This was written for the Klaroline Winter Wonderland exchange for** **accidental-rambler. It's a precanon twist for Klaroline.**

* * *

The grumblings of American youth were enough to give Klaus a headache, the weakness of the body he was currently parading around in not at all attuned to filtering out the teenagers out. He wondered how much longer he'd need to stay in town in order to bleed the lot of them out, to exact some kind of torture as repayment for the hours he was being forced to spend listening to the lot of them prattle on. Perhaps he could simply trap the entirety of the student body in the school and set it on fire, watch as they scrambled to get out and listen to their screams as they failed to flee.

There was a handful of them that he was even remotely interested in, all of them revolving around the doppelganger who would soon be dead at his hands. They were all pieces in his personal chess game, little emotional tethers to ensure that Elena Gilbert's death would be as traumatic as possible. She could thank Katherine for that, 500 years of brewing hatred meant it was easily transferred to the other.

Klaus forced a grin as he greeted the student that was entering Alaric's class, even as his gaze stayed transfixed on the little group huddled at the end of the hall. The "reformed" Ripper, his doppelganger, and the witch that would be dead soon enough all discussing how they would be taking him down without even realizing he was right under their noses. He almost found it to be rather hilarious except their stupidity was more annoying than anything, completely negating the challenge he'd wanted.

The baby vampire entered the hallway soon after and Klaus expected her to join in the conversation, but watched as she headed past them toward the human football player. He'd have ignored what happened next except she brought up the name of the wolf he would be luring back to town soon enough.

"Come on, Matt, you can't expect me to believe that Tyler hasn't contacted you _at all_ ," Caroline crossed her arms, the human flinching a little under her continuous gaze.

"I thought you were mad at him?" Matt asked as he closed the locker door, books finally in hand.

"Just because I'm mad at him doesn't mean I can't be worried about him," she protested as the two started down the hallway. "He just _left_. How do we even know he did that of his own free will?" Klaus caught sight of her face, noting the genuine concern in her features as well as her voice, spotted the way that the human seemed to tense at that knowledge as well.

"It's not like he was kidnapped, Care," Matt laughed a little at the very idea of that, but stifled it as her brows only creased further with worry. "His mom said he's spending some time with his Uncle's friend." The two rounded the corner out of his sightline.

Klaus' gaze lingered on where they had been for a moment, his mind ablaze with what he thought he'd just witnessed. He'd seen the others talk about the Lockwood boy. Specifically the two Salvatore brothers who had showed varying degrees of the seemingly in born hatred toward werewolves that vampires appeared to develop upon meeting a triggered one. It was more pronounced in Damon, Stefan's more low key, not particularly gleeful like his brother was over the Lockwood boy's absence but still seeming relieved.

But the vampire Katherine had turned for him had just shown worry over the boy's well being, something he'd seen a vampire or two fake when needed to get what they wanted in the cut throat race he'd helped orchestrate for the moonstone, but not like it had been with her. Caroline Forbes was truly concerned for the young werewolf and Klaus couldn't help but wonder how that had come to pass as well as how he might be able to manipulate such a thing for his benefit.

In a fortnight his curse would be broken and he'd be able to set out on making a new species just like him. The girl might turn out to be more useful than simply being part of the sacrifice as Katherine intended. Chess pieces moved around in his head, new players added to the board that would be an even more devastating blow for the doppelganger, and Klaus did so love ruining anything that Katherine put into motion.

* * *

The calm in Caroline Forbes' voice as she told the Lockwood boy of their supposed fate left Klaus breathless. Most would be weeping now, trying hard to get out of the bonds that were holding them to the walls of the tomb. He'd heard the tugging on the chains earlier but that had ceased. He should have smelt fear coming from the tomb as he listened in on the conversation but there was none from the girl after the initial realization of what was happening.

Usually the lack of fear would have been disappointing. That added spice when he was involved in an act of mental torture was something he enjoyed, loved pulling it out of those he was manipulating, and yet here he found his initial intrigue with the girl only expanding. He'd looked into her further in the last few days.

She was a newbie vampire, only a couple of months old, and yet she held the control of one far past her years, able to blend in with the humans as if she still was one. He'd noted that the human boy and her mother were actually in cahoots, that the two knew about Caroline being a vampire and that the two were trying to determine how best to deal with her.

And now the Lockwood boy was back in the fold, easily falling into the part that Klaus had carved out for him in the game he was playing with the Mystic Falls crew. Maddox had already relayed what he'd overheard of Caroline and Tyler's initial conversation but Klaus had wanted to see for himself how the two interacted with one another.

"Well if we're gonna die I might as well know the truth," he heard the girl reply, a splash of humor in a rather hopeless situation before her voice quieted down, barely a whisper as she continued. "Why did you leave me?" She sounded so resigned, as if Tyler wasn't the first to have done so.

Klaus' eyes narrowed at that question, listening to Tyler's answer as he noted the movement in the woods. It was the human boy; he'd be easy enough to get rid of if necessary, but the next player should be entering the woods shortly anyway. Klaus let his focus move back to the conversation, smiling as he heard the next bit.

"You turned your back on me when I needed you."

There was a pause, those words lingering in the air for a moment before Caroline continued.

"But...I could never hate you, Tyler."

He couldn't comprehend that, how hatred hadn't clouded the girl's judgement of Tyler after abandoning her. There was loyalty there that he hadn't seen the like of in centuries. It was another layer added to the puzzle of this girl.

Every so often he stumbled across someone who sparked an interest in him-from great artists, to ruthless leaders, to a girl who just happened to be one of the doppelganger's friends. They burned out eventually or if they were lucky he killed them before they were ever able to become a hollow version of themselves. Like the younger Salvatore boy had become, a shadow of his once glorious self. It was pathetic to watch Stefan fawn over _his_ doppelganger instead of ripping the small town apart as he would have decades ago. Klaus believed it was a waste of a perfectly good vampire and he was in need of one who could accompany him and help him with the army he'd be creating.

From what he'd observed of the girl in the last few days he thought she could be perfect for that role. Or at least she would be after he was done scraping away the bits of humanity that still clung to her.

Klaus never got the chance to hear the Tyler's reply, noting Damon's approach in the distance. It was time to leave. This distraction was set to play out just as he needed it. Greta and Maddox would be collecting those he would actually use in the sacrifice. And in the morning he'd have Caroline Forbes in his grasp and be on his way to carry out the next phase of his plans.

* * *

Matt hated her.

Okay, _maybe_ , that was a little dramatic. But things were over with the two of them, for good this time considering he couldn't handle her being a vampire. Tyler was okay at least, coming down from the pain of having gone through the transformation again, though thankfully he hadn't been able to hurt her or Matt.

The worst though was finding out that her mother _knew_ what she was, that her mom apparently was trying to figure out how exactly to deal with her. Caroline needed to figure out how to deal with that, what she was going to do, but first she needed to find out what all had happened the night before.

Was Elena alive? Did they defeat Klaus? She'd texted Bonnie earlier but there hadn't been any response yet and she wasn't about to text Damon to find out the details. At least not yet. If she didn't hear from anyone in half an hour maybe she'd rethink her plan.

But she needed to deal with her mom, or at least figure out a game plan for how to handle her mom knowing.

She headed along the sidewalk, steps slow to give herself a little more time. "Hello, love," a British accent started and she frowned at that, spotting the man leaning against the black SUV. She supposed that he was hot in that devilish bad boy way, reminding her a little too much of Damon when she'd first laid eyes on him.

"If you drive like two more blocks you'll hit the sheriff's station and they can give you directions," Caroline told him as she continued to walk past.

"I'm not interested in directions, Caroline," the man continued and she stiffened at the use of her name, bits of what the others had said about Klaus coming back to her. She'd never actually seen him but what was the likelihood of some other random stranger in Mystic Falls knowing her name? It wasn't like she was wearing a backpack with it stitched across the back (not that her mother would have ever let her wear that).

Elena was dead, that was the only way he could still be alive, right? Or was he here because he hadn't been able to complete the ritual without her and Tyler? Could she outrun him? Maybe if she at least tried she could send off a text to Tyler and at least get him a head start to get the hell out of town.

"Get on with it, Niklaus," another voice piped up and Caroline spotted the other man on the other side of the car. She'd never met Elijah either but she'd heard enough about him from Elena and Stefan to recognize him. _Great._

"Now, you're going to be a good girl and get into the car," Klaus-she was pretty sure it was him at least-continued, stepping into her path before she could move another inch.

Caroline stared at him, eyes narrowing into disbelief at his audacity to think she'd willingly do that. "Or would you rather I take you up on your idea of heading to the sheriff's station? I haven't quite satisfied my need for blood just yet. I believe your mother is there right now."

He motioned toward the back seat of the SUV and she grimaced but stepped toward it, ignoring the self-satisfied smirk his lips curled into as she got inside the car. Maybe her mother didn't know how to deal with her but Caroline wasn't about to put the woman at risk. She could always figure out an escape plan later, after she figured out why he'd come after her in the first place.

* * *

There had been a time when the betrayal in his brother's eyes as he twisted the dagger further into his chest might have evoked a sliver of regret from Klaus. But too much time had passed since they saw the world the same way and he was not about to allow Elijah's misguided sense of honor and morals hinder his plans. It had taken him long enough to get to break the curse and nothing was allowed to stop him from creating his army.

Not even family.

Elijah would understand when the time came to revive him and the others. And if he didn't, well, he could always redagger him.

Klaus let the body fall, feeling positively giddy at the renewed fear that swept through the other three in the area. Katerina would be dealt with soon enough, though Klaus was curious as to why exactly Stefan was even there. He had his suspicions. There really was only one reason to come to him. Caroline didn't make a sound and Klaus spared her a quick glance, pleased with how she was trying to keep her face neutral even as fear wafted off of her.

He tore a piece off the kitchen island and was in front of Stefan before any of them could react, stabbing the wood into the boy's chest. "Ah ah ah," Klaus chided as Caroline reacted to that, taking a step forward as she gasped out her friend's name. Katherine remained in her spot, watching and waiting, always looking for the course of action that would suit her best. "Make another step, love, and I'll alter the angle. Kill him in seconds."

Stefan gurgled as his lungs filled with blood and Klaus shifted the wood a little, closer to his heart, scraping against it for added effect. "He's just here to save his brother," Katherine finally bit out and Klaus quirked a brow at that.

"Damon? What's wrong with Damon?" Caroline asked, her confusion evident but Katherine shrugged.

"Come on now, mate," Klaus dug the wood in a little more. "Surely you can bite through the pain to fill us all in."

"The witches said you have a cure," Stefan finally managed to get out, hand grasping at Klaus' shoulder. The desperation in the young man's voice was a symphony to Klaus' ears and he let him go. People would do nearly anything when they were at the point Stefan seemed to be. "Whatever you want I'll do it. Just give me the cure."

Klaus headed back toward the kitchen, pulling out glasses from one of the cabinets as well as a bottle of scotch. "What do you want for it?" Stefan continued as he looked over at Caroline, uncertain what she was even doing there.

"Now see, I'd considered bringing back a side of you that's much more interesting than your current one," Klaus told him as he filled up two of the glasses. "You're of no use to me now. Rather boring, really. But then you weren't always this...neutered. 1917, Monterey California. You went in and wiped out an entire migrant village." He held one of the glasses out toward Caroline, shaking his head when she simply stared at it. " _That_ I could have worked with."

But Klaus had done his digging and it seemed that the Ripper was continuously in and out of hibernation. That was more of a headache than he needed to deal with at the moment. "But you've put that side of you into retirement. Pity."

He rounded out of the kitchen again, extending the drink toward Caroline, his gaze hardening when she still didn't take the glass. She finally relented at his look but didn't bother to take a drink as he continued on into the room. "So tell me, Stefan, I've no doubt that you would sacrifice yourself to save your brother. But would you sacrifice someone else to get what you want?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation in Stefan's voice as he looked at the other two in the room with them.

Klaus downed his drink before biting into his wrist and letting blood trickle down into the glass. "Your cure," he told him, holding out the glass to the boy.

"How do I know it's…" Stefan started but Klaus had Katherine in his grip before he could finish his question. He bit into Katherine's arm, delighting in the horror of the vampire who'd ruined his plans over five hundred years ago.

"You could always give it to her and find out?" Klaus suggested as he let Katherine go. Death by hybrid bite seemed as fitting an end as any for her.

Katherine turned toward her once lover, ready to plead for her the blood, but Stefan was already clutching the glass tightly to his chest. "What about Caroline?" he asked, finally acknowledging the other vampire's presence. "Why is she even here?"

"I did say you'd be sacrificing someone else," Klaus reminded, watching the girl flinch as Stefan nodded, no longer able to look at her.

"Stefan?" It was barely a whisper but the resignation was back in her tone, in the way she held herself. It wasn't exactly the first time someone had turned his back on her.

"It's Damon, Caroline," Stefan began as he headed toward the door.

The girl didn't say a thing to that but her grip tightened around the glass she still held, tiny cracks forming in it from how she clutched it hard. "Be a dear and help me with Elijah, love," Klaus instructed as he took the glass from her hands.

"Why are you doing this?" Caroline asked, glancing over at Katherine who was staring down at the bite mark on her arm.

Klaus set the glass down and nodded toward his brother's body. "Because I can. Now get his legs, Caroline."

"You can't just leave me like this," Katherine cried out, stumbling toward them.

"You always knew our little game of cat and mouse would end, Katerina," Klaus told her as he pushed her away, grinning as she hit the floor. As much fun as it would be to watch her die he had a timetable to keep. "Elijah's legs, Caroline."

The girl didn't need to be told again.

* * *

Elijah's body was stuffed into the backseat of the SUV, which was creepy enough on its own, but the fact that Klaus hadn't said a word after the two had gotten into the car was screwing with Caroline's equilibrium a hell of a lot more. They were nearing the edge of town, she could see the 'Hurry on back' sign up ahead and she still wasn't any wiser on _why_ he'd wanted her to go with him in the first place.

She _needed_ to know what was happening, to be able to keep a grip on her life. It's what helped her stay in control of everything, all of her urges, the bloodlust that continuously nipped inside of her, demanding release. "I think it's time for you to call your mother, love," Klaus said and she nearly jumped at the sound of his voice, too used to the silence that had fallen.

"Why?" What was she supposed to even say? _How_ did she explain that she was being basically kidnapped by some crazy evil hybrid who'd already killed her best friend? They so did not make manuals for this kind of thing.

"Would you rather her worry about your whereabouts?" he asked and she frowned at that. There was something about his tone though, a mirth to it that she didn't quite understand.

She fished her phone out of her pocket all the same, noting there were no numbers by her message button. She ignored it for the moment and flicked to her contacts, tapping her mom's name. "Caroline," her mother answered, a hardness to her voice that Caroline hadn't expected.

"Mom. I'm…" Seriously what was she supposed to say? "I don't know when I'm gonna be able to come home." She glanced over at Klaus, unable to read his expression but figured he approved of what she'd said.

"Good."

Wait. _What?_ "I know what you are," Liz continued, and the hardness suddenly made sense. Caroline's stomach tightened at the new knowledge, knowing what her mother was going to say before the words were even spoken. "I'll kill you if you come back."

" _Mom_ ," Caroline tried again, voice strangled at the idea of that, tears brimming her eyes.

"My daughter is dead," Liz murmured before hanging up.

Caroline lowered the phone, staring in disbelief, not wanting to believe what had happened. She pushed the button on the car door, lowering the window, and held out of her hand. The phone hit the ground as they sped by the sign and Caroline refused to look over at Klaus, focused instead on trying to keep the feeling of loss from overwhelming her, to hold onto what little she could still control.

She'd been able to make her mom see reason once before but then she'd had to compel it all away to protect Stefan and Damon. Stefan who had abandoned her to whatever nefarious scheme was cooking inside the hybrid's mind and Damon…

Her fingers bit into her palms. She didn't want to think about what he'd done to her.

"Is Elena dead?" Caroline asked instead.

"Yes."

She'd figured that was the case since Klaus was still walking around and very much alive. Plus the whole werewolf bite thing he'd done on Katherine. It was another blow to her gut though, leaving her feeling winded all over again.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked, finally looking over at him.

It was almost comical how affronted he looked at the idea of that. "Do you really think so low of me, sweetheart?"

Staring at a monster was _never_ a good idea, especially not if you were its prey. But she had a monster of her own underneath her skin and she let it give her the strength to keep eye contact with him a second longer than necessary.

"Yes." Caroline didn't particularly feel like lying. He could probably tell if she was anyway.

She looked away when he arched a brow at her, deciding to stare out at the forest they were driving through instead.

Not even three months ago she'd been killed by someone wearing one of her friend's faces and turned into a vampire. Her life had been flipped upside down, friendships broken, had to learn how to function with her mind and body at war with one another. If she could survive that, come out stronger than she'd been before, then she sure as hell was going to make it through whatever this was. She just had to figure out what the game was this time.

* * *

Caroline was exhausted, emotionally drained from everything that had happened so far, but she refused to let the lull of the car ride put her to sleep. One didn't close one's eyes around monsters and expect to wake up perfectly fine. The quiet was no less eerie than it had been before, but she found herself appreciating the lack of expectation for her to fill the silence. It spread between them as the sun began to set, the stateline miles behind them now.

When Klaus pulled off the highway and up to a small bar situated in the middle of nowhere she couldn't quite hold back her voice any longer. "Why am I here?"

There had to be a reason right? She'd heard what he'd said to Stefan about his...past? That had to have been what Klaus had been hinting at with that Monterey talk. Was that why Stefan only drank from animals? Did human blood make him go psycho? She didn't go crazy on human blood though. Sure she was using blood bags but that was still _human_ blood so if she was going to go crazy then she already would have, right? God. There was so much she didn't know.

"You care about the Lockwood boy," Klaus told her as he turned off the ignition.

 _Ooookay?_ That was _so_ not an answer. "He's a friend. I've known him since we were like babies." Sort of. They hadn't actually been friends really until recently, bonding over transitioning.

"He's a werewolf. You're a vampire," Klaus continued as if that made his previous statement somehow even more obvious. "The two of you are mortal enemies and yet you worried about him. Risked Damon leaving you behind to insure he was freed as well."

"Yeah, well, Damon's an ass." She shrugged, sighing when Klaus opened his door and nodded for her to exit the vehicle as well. She could always try to run now, but Caroline doubted she would get very far. And then she'd probably wind up dead and she wasn't about to die just yet. Not when her life had barely even started. "Why are we here?"

"For a bite to eat." He flashed his teeth at her and she cringed at that, hand still on the door even though she'd shut it behind her. He was definitely not there for the bar food.

"I'm not that hungry." Though she'd need to figure out a diet plan. Blood bags weren't exactly the easiest thing to procure. _Ugh_. She really didn't want to go back to an animal diet. Getting fur stuck between her teeth was the worst.

"Then I'm sure you'll have no problem coming inside and waiting while I have my fill." His tone left no room for questioning him and she followed after with a huff, sliding into one of the booths once they'd entered.

She had known as soon as the girl had followed Klaus back to their booth that things were going to go south rather quickly. The girl was situated between the two of them and Caroline tried to focus on the basket of fries, picking at what remained, as Klaus sank his fangs into the girl's neck. There was no cry of pain even as the girl's eyes widened a bit, having been compelled to be silent.

"I think you'll find her far more satisfying than those fries, Caroline," Klaus started as he pulled back a bit, blood smeared across his lips. The girl's head lolled to the side, her pulse already slowing.

"I'm good, thanks." It took a lot of effort to manage that without letting her voice shake.

"You're practically trembling with need, sweetheart," Klaus told her as he shifted the girl, exposing her neck toward Caroline. He tapped a vein that stood out against the skin. He watched her closely, waiting for the veins in her face to become more pronounced, her fangs to come out to play. "It'll be best from here." Nothing happened though and he tucked that bit of knowledge away for later.

She scowled at that before sitting up a little taller, trying not to breathe through her nose. The less she smelled the blood, the better. "Like I said. I'm good. But you do you."

He laughed at that, the sound startling her and she nearly dropped the fry she'd been about to munch on. Killer hybrids were _so not allowed_ to have nice laughs. Where was the evil one that was supposed to be the staple of every crazy person ever? Any semblance of him being even remotely human quickly vanished though when he tore into the girl's neck again. Caroline heard the heartbeat stop, all life leaving the girl's body as he drained her dry.

Klaus let the brunette fall back against the booth. "How exactly do you expect to keep your strength up if you don't feed? I imagine you've been enjoying the blood bags Damon had stashed away in the Salvatore mansion, hmm?" She didn't bother confirming that, biting a fry instead. "There won't be any of those on our trip, Caroline."

Of course there wouldn't because nothing was ever allowed to be easy. "Though, I must say that I don't understand why you've restricted yourself to blood bags. They might be far better than animal blood but they hardly keep a vampire at top strength like blood from the vein does."

She froze a little at that knowledge, wondering how she hadn't seen that before. She'd known that drinking human blood made a vampire stronger than one who drank animal, but had Damon deliberately helped keep her weaker than he was by providing her with bags? Had Stefan known that? She pressed her lips together, annoyed that she was even asking herself that question. Of course he would have. She'd been so stupid to think he was actually trying to help her out. Hadn't how easily he'd left her with Klaus shown just how little he actually cared about her well-being?

" _Or_ I could just leave here and you won't have to worry about my feeding habits." Where she'd go exactly she wasn't sure anymore. Home...no. She couldn't quite stomach the idea of going back there. "Especially since the whole 'me being friends with Tyler' doesn't really matter since he's not _here._ " And that was why he'd taken her, wasn't it? Not that it made any sense to her.

Klaus leaned back against the booth, quirking a brow in amusement at her confusion. "It hardly matters to me which wolf it is, Caroline. It's the fact you were even capable of it. The elder Salvatore wanted nothing more than to kill him. Stefan begrudgingly dealt with him but would have let the boy die or killed him if necessary."

"So why do you even care that I did? Didn't you admire Stefan for his like apparent past evilness? I'd think the whole showing compassion for someone thing would knock me down a peg on the whole 'keep around' list." Shouldn't it have knocked her off of it completely.

He simply grinned at her, that damn cocky one that she had a feeling was a staple of his. _Ugh_. "You're here because I want you to be." That seriously wasn't helping her confusion at all. _Why_ did he want her to be? Why was it so hard for him to answer that with words she could make sense of? "You're currently of use to me. And I think you'll find sweetheart, that I can be useful to you." She seriously doubted that, lips pursing at the very idea of needing anything from him.

Klaus picked up one of the napkins, wiping the blood from his mouth before dropping it down onto the dead girl. "You won't be leaving, Caroline." Not until he was done with her.

"Why? You'll kill me if I try?" Because really, it wasn't like threatening to kill her mom could do much anymore. "I think I'd rather be dead than follow you around like a lost puppy or whatever it is you're expecting." Because that wouldn't be living anyway and god, she wanted to _live._

"There are worse things than death. I'd say ask Katerina about that, but I doubt she's breathing any longer." Klaus rose at that and she swallowed hard. The threat gave way to another grin, one that was all teeth as he slid out of his side of the booth, girl's body slumping to the side.

Caroline didn't expect him to slide over onto her side, entirely too close for comfort. She inched as far away as she could from him without touching the dead body. "But back to you needing to eat," Klaus started and she really didn't like the way he looked her over. She was used to boys leering at her, sometimes it brought on a nice high, but Klaus was dangerous and she'd already dealt with one psycho vampire deciding she was a pretty plaything. She really didn't want to do that again.

"Who shall it be, sweetheart?" he continued, motioning around to the other bar patrons who weren't paying attention to them. "Quite a few options depending on what you're in the mood for." She opened her mouth to remind him that she _wasn't_ hungry but he tapped his finger against her lips, his eyes shifting to a yellow that she'd only ever seen in Tyler's before. Her fangs ached at the sight, his monster seeming to pull at the one she tried to keep such a tight control on. "Just a little taste, Caroline. You can even pick your meal."

She glared at him, trying to keep her hunger at bay. " _Or_ I suppose I could simply kill them all, have this place dripping with blood until you can no longer fight off your need. How many do you think it'd take for me to rip apart before your fangs drop and you can't hold back any longer?" he asked, curling a strand of her hair between his fingers.

"Seriously?" She wrenched back from his touch, eyes narrowing in annoyance at what he was putting on her shoulders. Caroline hated how he leaned back against the booth again, lips curling into a smirk as he trailed his fingers up and down her arm.

"Your choice," Klaus replied with a shrug.

He didn't say she had to kill whoever she drank from. She could just take her fill and then compel the person to go home and sleep it off. They'd be none the wiser to the horrors that lurked in the world by morning.

"You need to move so I can do this," Caroline snapped. Thankfully that only seemed to amuse Klaus who slid out of the booth to let her pass.

She listened in to a few of the conversations, trying to figure out _who_ to even make a go for. Then she saw one of the guys at the bar slip something into a girl's drink when she wasn't looking. Eyes narrowed she headed straight toward him, ignoring the feel of Klaus watching her every step. It didn't even take use of compulsion to get the guy to leave his current target and follow her down the hallway toward the bathrooms and then out to the back parking lot.

Caroline had the guy pinned to the wall, fangs sunk into his neck in seconds. She was so lost in the taste of his blood, the smell of the man's fear as he struggled helplessly beneath her grip that she didn't hear Klaus follow her outside. It wasn't until she felt the hand on her back, curving to her hip and yanking her back from the man.

"Time to go. I have a promise to keep to my brother."

She stumbled backward, flushed from the rush as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. Klaus' smile as he wiped the blood from her lips, bringing his thumb to his mouth to taste it before turning on his heel really didn't help.

Caroline threaded her fingers through her hair, her monster still out on display and leaving her feeling edgy and powerful all in one go. Did all older vampires like playing twisted mind games? Was that like a thing?

God. She was so screwed.

* * *

It took about a week for the numbness at losing her mother and hometown all in one go to turn into anger. A deep rage that stirred inside of her at how easily she'd been cast aside. Maybe she should have been used to it by then. Hadn't she been the afterthought most of her life already? Going from a father who'd adored her to barely getting a phone call with him once a month as he doted on his partner's daughter. A mother who prefered drowning herself in work to dealing with her as she grew up. Friends who had been slipping away long before being unable to deal with her transition.

She didn't even want to think about how Tyler and Stefan had so easily walked away from her when she'd needed their help the most.

Fury was something she'd always tried to stamp out, to keep her emotions happy, to be as perfect as she could be even when she felt like she was drowning. It was harder now with everything being so damn intense. The fact that Klaus liked to poke at the burning embers of her wrath really didn't help her quench it like she used to either.

So instead of trying to hide it, to push it down where it could fester, Caroline was working on learning to use it to her benefit. Her ability to cut a person to the quick had always been one of her preferred weapons, utilized against anyone from lazy cheerleaders to people who tried to insult her organizational skills. But could her anger help her focus her senses, make her more lethal than those who might want to kill her? Because they were going into werewolf territory and she didn't exactly have the greatest track record with that species.

Well, _eventually_ , they would be heading into werewolf territory. If one of Klaus' leads actually panned out anyway.

The breaking of a bone had her finally looking up from the fries and hamburger she'd been happily devouring. Out of all the rundown bars they'd been into in the last few days this one had the best food and not just a giant greasy mess.

The bartender was no longer _behind_ the bar, but pressed down against it with Klaus twisting one of the man's arms so hard that it broke. Caroline sighed as she dipped her fry into the ketchup, not too sure she liked the random question of whether or not they'd taste better with blood floating in her head.

People had noticed Klaus' attack on the bartender though, some rising to try and help him out, others trying to get a better look. But it was the two who had been playing pool and headed to block the front and back entrance that Caroline focused on. She vaguely recalled Klaus having talked to them earlier, had he compelled them to do this?

"You're going to tell me where to find him," Klaus told the bartender as he pulled the man up by his throat. "Either now and everyone in here will die quickly and as painlessly as possible. _Or_ they can suffer."

The bartender clawed at Klaus' hand, eyes widening in horror at the situation as Klaus dropped him. "Bad choice, mate."

It was all a blur after that, Klaus moving faster than even Caroline could comprehend. She heard the screams though, smelt the fear, the blood and took in each patron after Klaus took them down. Limbs broken on some, preventing them from doing more than crawling. One pinned to the wall with darts and others cowering under tables to try and hide from his wrath.

Klaus tsked as he approached the first table, pulling one of the men out from under it. He handed the man the spoon he'd been using to eat with. "Disembowel your friend with this," Klaus told the man, catching the other before he could run. "And you. Lay there and let him do it."

He turned back toward the bartender who was staring in horror at the scene. "Shall I continue or are you ready to give me a location?" Klaus asked, strumming his fingers along the next table as those underneath sobbed.

The bartender rambled off a town name, one that wasn't too far from where they were if Caroline recalled the map she'd been studying on the drive down correctly. She refocused on her fries and hamburger though as Klaus smiled. He may have seemed pleased that the man had finally acquiesced but well, it was too little too late. Everyone in the bar was going to die and she had no intention of being caught in the crossfire.

She was going to _live._

She had already made it out of Mystic Falls, something that she hadn't actually thought would happen for years to come. Now the possibilities were endless...well, they _would be_ endless. She just needed to survive the Hybrid.

The smell of blood soaked the air, overpowering the aroma of her cooling fries and burger. Caroline tried to breathe through her mouth, anything to push away the overwhelming urge to drop her fangs and have a taste. She'd already fed earlier that day on the maid, she didn't actually need anymore blood. But she _wanted it_ and it was so hard to fight back the urge to have more when it seemed to be all around her.

Her fangs scraped at her gums, pushing through before she could stop them, and Caroline gripped the glass of Coke she'd been drinking a little too hard. It broke, glass slicing into her skin. She almost welcomed the pain. At least it distracted her a little from the blood.

Unfortunately breaking the glass seemed to have reminded Klaus that she was there because he was at her side in seconds, grasping her injured hand by the wrist. "Careless," he muttered, voice still laced with that deadly calm he'd been using on the others even as he'd terrorized and killed them.

She didn't expect him to start taking the bits of glass out of her hand and looked at him, inhaling sharply as she took in his hybrid features on full display. While her eyes became almost black his were like amber, double set of fangs while she only had the one. Her monster liked that, eyes darkening at the sight of him.

His movements were almost gentle and she didn't know how to take that with the smell of blood all around them, with the sound of someone digging out another person's organs with a spoon, while another sobbed somewhere in the background.

"I got it," she told him, trying to tug her hand away. Because she needed him to stop touching her with her monster not at all satisfied and _craving_ some kind of release. If she wouldn't give it blood then there was another kind it would gladly take and Klaus' gentle caress as he tugged out the slivers of glass was having her inhale sharply for completely different reasons now.

His grip on her hand tightened as he looked at her, pulling out the last sliver of glass. She scowled as he smirked, shifting closer to invade her personal space while beckoning over one of the people he'd compelled. "Have a bite, Caroline," Klaus told her as the man slid onto the opposite side of the booth, blocking her in. "It'll help you heal faster."

She thought her skin was healing fast enough as it was, but maybe if she drank then Klaus would stop looking at her, would stop drawing his fingers along her arm as he continued to hold her wrist. "It's kind of hard to do that with you holding my hand. Has me twisted the wrong way," she told him, thankful he let go of her.

Caroline shifted toward the man, rolling her eyes when he so easily offered up his neck. She'd only take a little, enough to stave off her urges. It didn't help that Klaus seemed to shift with her, hand in her hair, brushing her curls off her shoulder as she dug her fangs into the human's neck. She clenched her eyes shut tightly as his lips pressed against her skin, thankful that she wasn't able to moan as she fed.

His fingers slid down her back, drawing little patterns that she tried not to decipher, needing to keep her focus on feeding and not how much her body craved touch. When his hand slid around her hip, sliding underneath her shirt to graze against her skin Caroline couldn't hold back a moan, fangs slipping out of the man as she leaned back against Klaus.

When his hand brushed the underside of her breast her senses came back to her and she flashed to the other side of the bar, out of reach and looking wildly around. _No._

She'd been a plaything once. Damon's voice was still one that haunted her nightmares sometimes. She wasn't about to add another monster to that mix.

Klaus' expression was hard as he watched her before sliding out of the booth. He didn't approach her and for that she was grateful as she tried to get her breathing even. "We finally have a location, sweetheart. Meet me in the car when you're ready."

Caroline nodded, not trusting her voice just yet and watched him head toward the door, stopping at the man who guarded it. "Kill the rest of them and then hang yourself."

Klaus was out the door seconds later and Caroline ran her hands through her hair, working on her breathing as screams echoed throughout the bar.

* * *

They managed to locate a werewolf easily after that, following the trail of breadcrumbs to where he had been hiding out for a few days. One werewolf was hardly enough for what Klaus wanted to do though. But one usually led to more. There were few werewolves that walked the world alone. Those who hadn't known about the curse until it was triggered were often found by other packs. They sought one another out, something vampires didn't tend to do.

Wolves should have been the territorial ones and they were to a degree, but not against other packs. More often than not they would join together if they crossed territory, wanting to keep their population up. Klaus had a feeling it had to do with how close to extinction the species had become. Vampires tended to be the opposite. Older ones often didn't take kindly to newer ones coming into their cities, especially if the younger ones started creating problems.

He enjoyed the crazy ones that stirred up trouble, found them highly entertaining, but they were never allowed to shine for too long anymore. Technology had made the need for subtlety even more prudent. Mikael was still out there, hunting him and the others, and Klaus had no desire to have a run in again with the man anytime soon. The leash given to the vampires that were so easily driven insane couldn't be as long as it used to be.

Which was a pity. He missed the days of watching a vampire decimate a whole town in a matter of hours.

"So why do you want hybrids anyway?" Caroline asked from her spot in the passenger seat. Ray, the werewolf, was in the backseat, twitching in fear as Klaus drove toward the state park the man had given as his pack's location. "And how do you even know how to make them? I seriously doubt there's a handbook that's got step by step instructions on how to do that. Though I _guess_ there could be like a spell in a grimoire or something. But you're not using magic because vampires can't use magic." She glanced over at him, brow crinkling briefly. "Though there's not supposed to be werewolf-vampires either so…"

"If a witch is turned into a vampire they cease all access to magic," Klaus replied, amused by the way she'd verbally come to her conclusions. "Most who do end up going mad within a few weeks, unable to handle the sudden loss of their tie to nature. Turning them is a particularly nice form of punishment."

" _Right_." She pursed her lips, clearly not impressed by that idea. "But really, how do you know how to make a hybrid?"

"While researching how to break the curse my mother put on me-" Klaus started, pausing when Caroline interrupted.

"Your _mom_ is the one who cursed you? That is seriously harsh."

"-I learned from the witch who had the counter spell and list of ingredients needed how I would be able to make more." Ayanna hadn't exactly _wanted_ to reveal any of that information to him but the threat of tracking down every one of her family members and slaughtering all of them had been enough for her to give over that information. He'd killed her right after and would have murdered her children next if Mikael hadn't stumbled across him so quickly.

"But why do you want to make them?" Caroline asked as she glanced out the window. "You're the one who started the whole sun and moon curse story, got vampires and werewolves working against one another, and apparently the werewolves were nearly extinct because of that."

"I'll make them more powerful than they could have ever dreamed," Klaus replied, glancing back at Ray through the mirror. "A perfect army at my disposal."

Caroline strummed her fingers along the armrest on the door, looking entirely too pensive for Klaus' liking. "You don't need to make hybrids to have an army though," she pointed out after a moment. "You already have witches on your side. And obviously you've had vampires working for you before or that's what the Salvatores said Rose told them. I'm sure having that combination is already pretty damn lethal. Plus like you're an _Original_ so you're already more deadly than like any other person on the planet. So like making a perfect army can't be the _only_ reason."

He didn't reply to that and didn't look over at her again either, not at all liking how she was able to look at the whole picture as if she was seeing inside of him. "I suggest, sweetheart, that you stop with your incessant meanderings."

"Someone's touchy," she muttered under her breath, crossing her arms in annoyance. " _You're_ the one who decided to make me tag along. You could've brought Stefan or you know, done this whole journey on your own." She straightened a little at her own words, twisting to see him better. "You didn't want to be alone though, did you?"

His hands gripped the steering wheel, nearly twisting it at her words. Before she could say another thing, he reached over and snapped her neck, thankful for the silence that filled the truck. Ray's spike in fear was an added bonus.

* * *

Caroline glared at Klaus' back the whole way up the damn mountain. He'd actually snapped her neck, killing her for a few hours and she was _livid._ After the first fifteen minutes of trailing behind him and the werewolf, she'd realized that there had to be a reason why he'd done that though. It couldn't have just been because she'd been talking. She'd prattled on for hours when they were driving before in their search for Ray and Klaus hadn't done anything.

He'd joined in, actually having a conversation with her at times, or simply listening to her talk. It had almost been nice and slowly she'd come to enjoy the conversations, liking that he actually listened to her and didn't belittle her ideas. He'd even altered plans once based on her misgivings, proud when her course of action had proved the better way to go. Every preconceived notion that everyone in her town had of her was gone and Caroline found that she was beginning to like the idea that she could be someone new. She wasn't sure who that person was just yet, but she wanted to find out. Though she'd apparently forgotten to keep her words to herself, forgot that he was a monster.

She'd thought back on what she'd been saying before he'd been a massive jerk, eyes widening as she remembered her exact words.

He hadn't wanted to be alone?

Was that seriously at least part of what it all came down to?

She could understand the curse breaking thing to a degree. It must have been some kind of mental torture to walk around for a thousand years knowing part of himself was locked away. Was it like people who lost a limb? Did he feel the wolf part of him like a ghost appendage that was suddenly no longer there? Not that it condoned the whole killing of Elena part-though part of Caroline blamed his mom for apparently making doppelganger blood a key ingredient in the whole thing. If it hadn't been Elena it would've been someone else and Caroline couldn't lie to herself about not caring about some future doppelganger. It only mattered now because Elena was her friend.

But to want to make a whole new species because he was apparently lonely? Even if that was a small part of it she couldn't quite understand _why_ that was the case. Didn't he have lackeys? The witches who'd kidnapped her had definitely been his lackeys. And he apparently had siblings, more than just Elijah, so she really didn't understand the lonely thing.

Except.

She was one of the most popular girls in school-or, well, _had been_ one of the most popular girls in school. Head of the cheerleading team, of countless committees, even Miss Mystic Falls, and there were times when she could be standing in a crowded room and feel so utterly alone.

But she was _seventeen_. That probably had to do with hormones. He was ancient. Surely it didn't still work like that.

They got to the pack's area without any trouble, Caroline rolling her eyes when Klaus introduced himself, pleased that the wolves had apparently heard of him. His arrogance was the most annoying part about him, even more so than the monster that she knew lurked beneath his charm.

Nothing went like it was supposed to though once the wolves woke from death. Klaus had forced his blood down their throats and then killed all of them, trapping the few humans who lived with the group to be their meal upon waking. But drinking blood didn't have them transitioning into a hybrid. Instead there were screams of agony, blood sliding down cheeks from their eyes.

Caroline watched as a few clawed at their heads, digging into their flesh, trying to tear away something she couldn't see. Some of the others twisted and broke like she'd watched Tyler do when he'd begun transforming into a wolf, but they never quite made it the whole way, dropping to the ground dead soon after.

She stared in horror as they dropped one by one, the only two left standing being her and Klaus. She glanced over at him, not sure how he'd react to this turn of events, wondering if he'd lash out and not wanting to be the one in his path if he did.

He didn't though.

He simply looked around at the carnage before them, the arrogance from before gone, replaced with a sense of loss that seemed to ripple through him. "It should have worked," he started, voice barely audible as he stumbled backward, confusion evident. He sat back on a fallen over tree trunk, hand raking through his hair as he looked around, bewildered. "She said it would work. I did everything the witch said."

He looked over at her and Caroline didn't like the way her heart tightened at the sight of him. But she couldn't just stand there when he looked so utterly devastated. She carefully sat down on the trunk beside him, still not quite trusting him to lash out at her. "I killed the doppelganger. I broke the curse. I fed them my blood," he continued, hands clenching closed tighter with each sentence.

"We'll figure it out," Caroline told him, hands tucked into her lap as she glanced back out the dead wolves. "You know more witches, right? Someone has to have answers." Maybe there was an ingredient missing? "Maybe she didn't tell you everything as like an insurance policy?" It'd kind of make sense if the witch didn't really want to help Klaus in the first place. Just give him enough to think he knew what he was doing.

She could feel him looking at her and snuck a glance at him through her hair. Caroline wished she hadn't done that, not at all liking the calculating look in his gaze as he looked her over as if he was seeing her in a new light. "Any idea on where we should start? And like what do we do with _this_ mess? Cause big old slaughter is so probably not a good thing to leave behind."

"We'll compel a few to come clean it up once we get back into the town," Klaus told her as he rose, looking more like his usual self again. He offered her his hand and she hesitated for a moment before taking it, letting him pull her up.

He was still looking at her weirdly and she pulled away as soon as she was standing, noting the way his features hardened at that. "Let's get moving. I want to be out of this backwater place as soon as possible."

Caroline nodded, flashing through the forest after him, not at all liking the way her stomach flipped as she moved.

* * *

 _We_.

It was such a simple word and one that Klaus doubted Caroline had even realized she'd said. Or maybe she had, which honestly would make the whole thing even that much more valuable to him. The ease with which she'd said it, how she'd meant it and continued to say it after that first time had him feeling flabbergasted at first. And then everything had changed.

Keeping her around because she intrigued him, because she filled the role of entertainment while he worked at building his army no longer made any sense to him. Her ability to forgive people who hurt her because she saw them as friends was one thing, something for him to manipulate and poke at to see how far he could make her bend when he'd become the only thing left in her small world. Her control had fascinated him and he'd enjoyed playing around with that as well. Her anger was a thing of beauty, one he'd tried to capture a few times on his sketchpad when she was asleep. Her vampire face a vision he couldn't ever seem to get quite right, the details just not up to his standard.

But her words. This effortless _we_ and Klaus no longer saw her as a bit of entertainment to play with and eventually dispose of.

He hadn't needed to compel it out of her. There was no sire bond between them like he believed would come with the hybrids. No familial loyalty that was so easily squandered anyway. No lust for power that he was able to manipulate.

And yet she'd said it and from her conviction as she spoke, the following sentences that had continued that line of thinking, he knew she meant it.

Klaus watched her get into the passenger side of his SUV as he compelled the last of the humans to clean up the mess they had left behind.

Creating the hybrids was still important to him and there was a witch they would go see to help figure out why his method wasn't working. But he had a new task, one that was inching its way up in his head as being top priority as he watched his baby vampire scan through the radio stations.

He was going to keep Caroline Forbes. That _we_ would last for eternity.

* * *

Chicago was _amazing._ It hadn't ever been a place on Caroline's bucket list, but actually being in a big city was everything she thought it might be. From the noise, to the people, to the buildings that never seemed to end. She couldn't help but look around as Klaus drove them through the city, intent on getting to the witch. At least he was being quiet because the overly talkative version of him that she'd had to deal with since the werewolf disaster had been _weird._

He hadn't manipulated her into eating anyone, though, okay, he hadn't needed to because she'd willingly joined him when they'd stopped at some random diner. But seriously the trucker had been making lewd stares at her since they'd walked into the place so he'd deserved to get eaten. Probably didn't deserve to have his heart ripped out after they were finished but Caroline hadn't really felt any remorse over Klaus' actions on that one.

The discussions in the car had been so weird though. Usually they'd talked about vampire things or creating hybrid things. Basically everything had come back full circle to be about Klaus in some way. Which had been fine with Caroline. It'd given her a chance to learn a few things, stuff that would help her survive and hopefully thrive.

Now though, he'd asked about _her._ She hadn't realized it at first, always happy to talk about anything so silence wouldn't linger, but she'd caught on eventually that there had been a shift. It wasn't trivial things either like her favorite food or color or song or anything either. He'd somehow managed to steer the conversations into her hopes and dreams without her any wiser.

She didn't like it, wary of what his agenda was now. She'd figured out that being 'intriguing' meant that he'd found her to be entertaining for him because _yep_ she'd so hit the issue on the nose with the whole 'not wanting to be alone' thing. Why he had Elijah and other sibling (maybe siblings, there had so been more than one coffin) sealed away was beyond her. Like wouldn't they make him less alone? Well, if they weren't locked away in a coffin they would.

Not that Caroline was going to bring that up. She liked having her neck whole and not broken.

"Your witch friend works at a bar?" Caroline asked as Klaus finally parked the car, nodding toward the sign that said _Gloria's._

"She owns it. Has since the 1920s," Klaus replied, strumming his fingers along the steering wheel before unlocking the doors.

"And she's still alive?" That was pretty damn impressive. "Is there like a spell that slows aging down or something?" Because that would really not surprise her at all.

"Something like that." _Ugh_. He was doing that insufferable smirk thing again. She rolled her eyes and got out of the car, waiting for him to do the same. "She'll have a variety of specialty drinks that you might enjoy. Alcohol mixed with blood. Have you ever tried it?"

"So like a real Bloody Mary?" Caroline quirked a brow at that, following him into the bar. Because hey, maybe then she'd actually like the taste of that particular drink.

He grinned, teeth gleaming and she wished he'd gone back to the smirk. Because that flash of white always excited the monster that crawled under her skin, dying for a chance to come out and play. Plus she swore she could see a glint in his eyes, a piece of his monster calling out to her.

"If it isn't Klaus Mikaelson," the woman behind the bar exclaimed as the two entered. "And who's this? Don't tell me you went and made yourself a replacem-"

"I suggest you watch your words," Klaus bit out, glaring at the woman who he'd flashed over to and leaving Caroline even more confused.

She slid onto one of the stools, offering over her hand. "So, hi. I'm Caroline. Current traveling companion since he gets all bored and moody when he's alone."

Gloria laughed at that, shaking her hand. "I like this one."

Klaus' good mood seemed to have soured though, not that Caroline could figure out why. She really hoped she hadn't earned another snapped neck as he took the seat beside her. "What'll you have?" Gloria continued, ignoring his demeanor.

It was amazing to see the witch not at all worried about being in Klaus' presence. So many others feared him, but Caroline could feel the magic that the woman held. The place practically rippled with it. Would Bonnie eventually get to this level?

Bonnie.

She frowned at the thought of her friend. The person who'd been her friend. Were they still friends? She didn't know anymore. She didn't really want to think about that. "I hear you can make a Bloody Mary that actually tastes good," Caroline told her, brushing her own thoughts away.

Gloria nodded and got to work on the drink. "And what about you, Klaus? Something tells me you didn't come in here to enjoy my liquor like you used to."

The bar was relatively quiet. Just a smattering of humans using the pool table, a few in some of the booths at the back. A ripple of magic passed through Caroline as Gloria put down a plate with some kind of plant on it, lighting it on fire. "Sage. No one will hear what you say," Gloria continued before finally handing over the drink to Caroline.

"It didn't work. What the witches had told me to make new hybrids," Klaus started and Caroline could practically taste his anger at that.

"So you broke your curse. I thought you felt different," Gloria murmured as she tapped her nails along the counter. "I could summon them, see what's going on, but I'll need the talisman."

"Talisman?" Caroline sipped her drink. It definitely tasted better with blood.

"Your sister should have it. She did the last time I saw her at least," Gloria continued and stepped back to pick up one of the framed photographs that were along the back of the bar. "Been a few years since then though."

Klaus was smiling in the frame with a young woman beside him in one of the booths. His sister? Was she in one of the coffins too? The weird thing was spotting Stefan in the picture as well, his arm around the girl, looking way too chummy.

Gloria tapped the necklace that the young woman wore. "You'll need to get Rebekah to give you this."

Caroline swallowed as she took in the necklace, remembering where she'd seen it before. It could just be a coincidence but Stefan had given Elena a necklace that looked exactly like that one. "There's no other way?" Klaus grimaced. "I'd rather not deal with Rebekah at the moment."

"Um. So. I dunno if it means anything and maybe there's like more than one of these in the world or whatever. But Stefan gave Elena a necklace that looked just like that earlier this year," Caroline told him. Should she have felt bad about doing that?

No. Elena was dead anyway. And Stefan...well, he hadn't even tried to help her. So no, she wasn't going to feel bad at all. "She could be buried with it?"

"That's my girl." Klaus brushed his fingers along her arm, lips curling into a smile and her stomach tightened, not at all sure how to take his words. They were entirely too binding and suddenly she wanted to go back to being the pet, the bit of entertainment. Not whatever this was that he was apparently thinking now.

"You get me that necklace and I'll get you your answers," Gloria assured him before blowing out the sage so she could help another customer.

Caroline downed her drink, trying not to think about how Klaus was still running his hand along her arm, and definitely not taking any notice of the possessive way he was watching her now.

* * *

"You weren't afraid of me back in that bar," Klaus started as they entered the hotel suite.

Finally they were able to stay somewhere more to his taste, something actually up to his standards. The werewolf population that ended up in packs tended to stay in the most remote locations. Probably because it helped keep their members safer but it truly had made it hard to find a quality hotel to stay at while traveling the backroads of the South.

"Huh?" Caroline asked, setting down the bag that held the things she'd managed to procure during their travels. He enjoyed her confusion, the way it made her eyes widen a little as he set down his own bag. "We were in like 15 different bars in the last couple of weeks so you're gonna need to be way more specific than that."

There was no hint of fear even if she was wary. "When you started to let go of your need for control," Klaus continued, turning back to look at her. "When you let me touch you before yanking away and flashing across the room."

He didn't like the way she froze at the reminder, but he needed to know _why_ she had done that, to peel back another layer in the mystery that was Caroline Forbes. Klaus slowly moved toward her, taking his time to close the distance. "I wondered why you've been so wary of my touch when it's obvious you crave it, bending toward it before seemingly remembering something."

"I don't crave anything," she bit out as she crossed her arms. He had to give her credit for not stepping back though when he finally stopped in front of her.

"Sweetheart, our senses are heightened. I can smell your arousal every time." He enjoyed the way her eyes widened at that. "Besides, its fact that our sex drives are on overdrive as well." He reached over, pushing her hair off her shoulder so he could slide his fingers along her collarbone up to her lovely neck.

"I'm not a plaything. Did that. Got the t-shirt." She batted his hand away, growling as her eyes darkened. "I'd rather die than be that again."

"Oh Caroline," he smiled slowly, teeth gleaming in the light as he leaned in, hand curling around her neck to keep her in place. She stiffened further at that and Klaus had a feeling she was remembering the snapped neck he'd doled out to her only days ago before he'd had his epiphany. "Don't worry, love. I'd never hurt you."

She didn't respond to that, though he could see the disbelief in her eyes. "But lets get back to _who_ treated you that way, hmmm?" he asked, thumb caressing her skin as he kept a firm grip on her.

"Why?" she asked, blinking, confused. "Why the hell do you even care?"

He stopped the caress, almost amused that she hadn't figured it out yet, but she was young. He couldn't fault her that. There would be plenty of time to teach her everything. "Because you're _mine._ "

She yanked back at that and he let her move, enjoying the way she tried to scramble away. Didn't she realize that only enticed him? He let his fangs drop, knowing how much that egged on her own monstrous side. It might take him longer to get her logical mind to follow suit but he was confident with a little push he'd win over her monster.

His hybrid features bloomed, eyes turning to amber as he stalked her across the room. He enjoyed the way her face shifted, the darkening of her eyes as he easily cornered her against the table. "And your pretty little monster already knows it," Klaus murmured as he traced over her veins, pressing his body against hers.

Her eyes narrowed at that and he could tell that she wanted to refute that. Klaus bit into his own lip, pleased with how she moaned at the smell of blood, her gaze fixing on his mouth. He shifted closer, nose brushing with hers, but stopped, letting her be the one to surge forward, mouth pressing against his as her tongue swept out, wanting to taste him.

"Who was it, sweetheart?" Klaus persisted as she pulled back a little, breathless. "Tell me, Caroline, and _we'll_ deal with him together."

She stared at him for what seemed like forever, eyes wide as the use of _we_ settled in her head, the implications of that with everything else he'd just said washing over her. He could see the internal war that seemed to be going on inside of her and he waited, exercising his patience like he hadn't in centuries.

"Damon Salvatore," she eventually spat out and it was Klaus' turn to narrow his eyes.

Of course it was that one. He remembered how he'd seen the older Salvatore hanging around the rest of that crew, how Caroline had talked to him, the animosity that seemed to be there when she was in his presence. Suddenly it all made sense.

"It seems we'll have quite a few things to do once we get back to Mystic Falls then."

* * *

Elena Gilbert was still alive.

At first that had simply been a shock, seeing her friend alive. Caroline had felt almost relieved, maybe even grateful to see the girl she'd not really been able to mourn. Until Elena spoke anyway.

"Oh god, does this mean Klaus is back too?"

No, are you okay, Caroline.

No, we were so worried, Caroline.

Not from Elena, not from Bonnie, or Matt.

Only Tyler had been the one to have his eyes widen in shock, to exclaim any kind of worry, to hug her like he'd actually missed her.

Stefan looked terrified as she peeled herself away from Tyler who was still going on about wondering where she was, not really accepting anything her mom had said about the situation.

These were supposed to be her _friends_. They were supposed to stick together to protect one another. To protect _her._ But no, they were only doing that for Elena. Bonnie hadn't even bothered to look for her and that cut deeper than Caroline had thought it would.

Caroline didn't say a word as Klaus mentally and physically tortured the lot of them, killing a few of her old classmates, compelling others to attack. But she watched it all, kept her eyes locked on each of her friends as they met their end.

Bonnie forced to drink Klaus' blood before he snapped her neck and then compelled her to complete the transition once she woke back up. She sobbed, begging Caroline to help her, to kill her.

"No." Let Bonnie Bennett see how hard it was to control her darker urges now. Let her experience everyone turning their backs on her because of what she'd been forced to become. "Sucks that you don't know anyone to make you a daylight ring."

Klaus forced the ex-witch to drink Matt dry and Caroline almost felt some regret for that, but at least he wouldn't be going home to an empty house anymore.

Damon had to rip out his own organs, starting with some of the lesser used ones and ending with his heart. The whole time Stefan was forced to watch, pleading with Klaus to make him stop, telling him he'd do anything. But it fell on deaf ears and Caroline sucked in a deep breath as Damon finally removed his heart. She took it from him, smiling as he died, and happily sank her teeth into the organ, sucking out the remaining blood from it.

Klaus watched her with a predatory grin, wiping the blood from her lips as she dropped the heart. Her gaze darkened, stomach tightening as she watched him lick his thumb before finally turning toward Elena.

"Now what to do with you," Klaus mused, tapping the doppelganger on the head. Stefan struggled against the compulsion forcing him to remain sitting.

"What if she's the missing part?" Caroline murmured, watching Elena struggle to breathe through her sobbing. "It'd be kind of a big fuck you if the only way to make hybrids was with the blood of the one you had to kill to break your curse. And no offense, but I feel like witches would be that vindictive to you."

She shrugged as Klaus arched a brow, amused.

Caroline hadn't really wanted Tyler to be the experimental trial but he was the only wolf in town and waiting really wasn't Klaus' style.

Thankfully an hour later and they had their answer as well as a brand new hybrid to add to Klaus' army.

By the time the trio left Mystic Falls, Elena Gilbert was locked away in a hospital wing, the staff compelled to collect bags of her blood once a week that would be sent to Klaus. Stefan was left to rot away in the tomb, compelled to never try to leave it, his daylight ring taken as an added incentive.

Klaus had suggested several ways to make her mother pay for abandoning her, but Caroline had glimpsed the woman when they were heading to the school. She'd seen how much older Liz Forbes had looked, how haggard she'd gotten in the last few weeks, and Caroline thought that the best punishment was probably letting her mother live and know that her daughter was out there somewhere as a monster.

"So where to now?" Caroline asked as they piled into the SUV, Tyler happily buckling himself into the backseat.

"I've heard rumors of a few packs in Italy," Klaus told her and Caroline perked up at that. "And I believe Tuscany is on our list of places to visit?"

She grinned, letting Klaus take hold of her hand as they drove by the 'Now leaving Mystic Falls' sign one more time, pleased with how her life was turning out. It was nice to be a _we._


End file.
